Transporting tank



Feb. 27, 1940. w. R. KEPLER ET Al.

TRANSPQRTING TANK Filed Dec. 1o, 19:57

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ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 27, 1940 i UNITED STATES PATENT yorrlcE 'rrtANsPol't'rlNG. TANK william Rj Kepler, Wauwatosa; and Eric n.

Nilsen, Milwaukee, Wis., Smith Corporation, Milwaukee,

poration of New York Application December 10,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in transporting tanks or containers and provides a simple and inexpensive means of fastening the tank to railroad fiat cars or motor vehicle' carriers. The invention is particularly well adapted to the transportation of cylindricalstorage tanks of the type illustrated in U. S. Patent #2,092,165 issued on September 7, 1937 to William R. Kepler for Support for cylindrical vessels, wherein the tank is supported at four points at its outer extremities.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for supporting a tank, when loaded on a freight car, which will permit movement relative to the carrying platform to the extent necessary to prevent deformation from sudden shocks such as occur during transportation.

A further object is to provide a number of tieing means which will independently resist forces that may arise in various directions or aii'ect different parts of the tank.

Another object y is to utilize the supporting structure of the tankas a terminus for tie rods to prevent fore and aft movement relative to the carrier and to cushion the attachment thereto in such a manneras to prevent injury to the tank.

These and other objects, which will be more particularly described herein, are accomplished by the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig, l is a side view showing a tank mounted on a railroad flat car;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the tank and car shown on Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail of the attachment of the tie rods to the supporting fins of the tank and to the car. K

The tanks illustrated are frequently of a length in excess of 40 feet and a diameter in excess of ll feet and accordingly can be placed as a unit on a flat car of customary dimensions. Smaller tanks may be placed on trucks or a series of such tanks loaded on flat cars without departing from the scopefof this invention.

The tank I, asvillustrated, is supported at four points by the fin plates 2 welded to the tank head at the ends of the cylindrical section. Stiffening plates 3, seat plates 4, and bracket plates 5 attached to the fin plates 2 complete the supporting structure and are similar to elements illustrated in the Kepler patent heretofore mentioned.

. Each support rests on a block or blocks B, which may conveniently be made of wood, The blocks must.be thick enough to provide clearance between the bottom of the tank and the 'gage the inside edge of assignors 'tol A. 0.

Wis., a cor- 1931, serial No. 119,051

floor of the car. A metal plate 'I is welded onto a larger plate 8 and disposed at right angles to the fin plate 2' for supporting the latter, the plate 8 being nailed to block 6 andthe upper surface of plate 'I being preferably greased to allow for- 5 easy longitudinal movement of the plate 2 therealong. The plates 'I and 8 are positioned to enthe seat plates 4 so as to hold the tank rigidly against lateral movement relative to the car.

Spaced longitudinally along the the tank are a series of bands 9 drawn tightly over the top of the tank and fastened to the frame of the flat car by tie rods I0, tie rod plates II, and nuts I2. Most flat cars are provided with stake holders I3, through which the tie rods may be drawn, but if none are provided, holes may be drilled in the car oor and 'the rods inserted through them. 'I'he number of bands required will depend in part upon the length of the tank. For most tanks three bands are suiiicient, one at each end, spaced a short distance from the heads and holding the tank firmly on the blocks 6, and one in the central portion. Occasionally it may be necessary to have two bands in the central area. The use of bands instead of one continuous rod is preferable because of the greater contacting area covered by bands. Any suitable connection may be used to fasten the bands to the rod, a weld I4 being illustrated on the drawing.

The middle of the tank is supported by four blocks I5 with top surfaces shaped to conform to the contour of the tank which rests upon them. A felt lining I6 is' placed between the tank shell and the blo'cks to cushion the tank from sudden 35 shocks. Such protection is more important where enamel lined tanks are being transported.

To hold the tank against longitudinal movement on thecar, each of the four supports is resiliently connected to the car by a tieing mem- 40 ber. The tie rod I1 is drawn through an opening in the nn plate 2 and extends diagonally downward toward the opposite end of the tank, its, lower inner end being secured to the car. Abutting against the i-ln plate and enclosing the tie rod at its upper end outside the n plate 2 is a pipe section I8. Washers I9 spaced by a compressible rubber block 20 are held in place by a 'nut 2I which is tightened to equal tension on all of the tie rods. v

The tie rods I1 are preferably drawn as nearly horizontal as possible and attached to the car at a point considerably remote from the end supports. By making the attachment to the fln plates near the vessel shell, the rods may be drawn u under the bracket plates 5 andthe vertical bands '9 without causing any interference with the functioning of these parts. The attachment to the car may be made similar to that for the vertical bands, as has already been described. f

The tie rod IT between the fin plate 2 and the car is preferably formed of three parts, the central section being a 'bar 22; connecting two threaded end tie rods 2l' and 23. The attachment may be conveniently madevby welding as at v 24 and 25. In this construction, the tie rod 23,

attached to the car frame, may consist only of a f verticalv rod, bar 22 being bent to li'e parallel thereto for welding, and a bent plate 26 inserted through the stake holder serving as a support.

The`construction ofthe tie rods,`vhaving the` rubber blocks 20 allows a limited longitudinall movement of the tanks on plates 'l responsive to severe forward and backward movement of the" car and therefore relievesv the ln plates 2 of severe stress from shocks. 'I'he tanks are fully protected against injury from shocks.

The inventionV having been described what'i's claimed isf t 1. In combination with a transporting car a large cylindrical tank having a lpair of braced lateral supporting ns immovably secured theren the platform of the car forA supporting said ns, means passing 'over the top of the tank for the tank and car.. to atmeach head, longitudinally extending blocks securing the same down on said blocksrmeans on theflns for engagingthe blocks to prevent jrelative lateral' movement 'between the tank andA the car, a pair of longitudinally extending tie rods on each side of the tank eachrod having one end secured to the car andthe other end resiliently engaging a supporting iin to permit limited relacar. p l

, 2. In combination with atransporting car a large cylindrical tank havinga pair'of braced lateral supporting n's immovably secured thereto at each head, longitudinally extending yblocks'on the platform ofthe car 'for supporting said iins,` means .passing over the top of the tank for se' tive longitudinal movement between the tank andcar,` a pair vof longitudinally extend-ing tie -rods on each side :of the tank, *y having theiradjacent inner ends secured tothe car and their outer endsv slldably YprojectingA through their respective fins, cushioning means n interposed between the iin andan adjustable y abutment on theouter endl of each rod to permit limited relativelongitudinal movement 'between vthe rods in.. each pairY f fv'vlnLiAM agKEPL'RQ ERIC-H Nmsons, 

